


Delicate Stitching

by N_chan



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, I just want Tressa and Therion to have a reason to get along somewhat, No Romance, also Therion can sew because no one wears that ratty of clothes without knowing how, because Tressa should generally dislike him, other protagonists mentioned but are less important to the story, using sewing cloth as a metaphor for mending a relationship, we all know what happens when you assume things, ya make an ass out of u and me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 07:51:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15359724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N_chan/pseuds/N_chan
Summary: Therion is great at sewing, which Tressa manages to find out in, possibly, the rudest way someone could manage to do so.





	Delicate Stitching

“Aw, crap!”

It wasn’t the first thing said after the fight, but it was one of the things that garnered more attention. Tressa had said it, and the clear dismay in her voice made everyone stop. A quick look showed her examining a significant tear in her bag. 

As the group watched they saw her go from inspecting the bag to inspecting her merchandise, some of which had spilled to the ground through the hole. Ophilia started to pick up the various wares for the girl, holding them in her arms uncertain.

“I suppose putting them back in your bag at this point wouldn’t do much good.”

“They would just fall out again, and I don’t have anything to fix this hole right now.” Tressa put her hand on her hips staring at the problem. If determination could fix things, the bag would sit perfectly in one piece, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

“Perhaps we can all carry the items until we get to the next town. You can probably find a new bag there, or even someone who can fix it.”

Everyone voiced their willingness to carry some of Tressa’s stuff. Well, everyone except Therion. He was quiet as usual, and Tressa shot him a look as he stared at the pile of stuff on the ground. She shot him the meanest glare she could manage.

“Don’t even think about it thief!” Therion’s gaze refocused onto Tressa, a perfect poker face. “You aren’t touching any of my stuff, and I know exactly what I have so don’t even try.”

“I don’t want any of your worthless junk anyway.” Therion turned from the group, instead gazing off in the direction they would be headed soon.

Alfyn, ever the mediator of the group, clapped his hands as if to clear the air. “Well then! If we wanna get any closer to town lets gather this stuff up!” So saying, he gathered items into his bag, making sure to keep it relatively separate from his own stuff. Soon enough, Tressa’s bag was full to just below the tear, and the bags everyone carried a little heavier. Minus Therion’s, as Tressa had demanded.

********

When camp was finally set up for the night, the group of eight sat idly by the campfire. Cyrus had been sparked into lecture mode earlier in the evening when Alfyn had noted an herb while setting up camp. While the apothecary listened with rapt attention, and a few others passed the time by listening in, Therion sat off to the side of the group just out of the fire’s light. He vaguely paid attention as the scholar said something about how people used poisons as medicine sometimes, or something of that nature.

Despite having his head bitten off by Tressa earlier, he wasn’t exactly angry with her. The reaction was fair, as they hadn’t been traveling together long. A natural reaction for a merchant faced with a thief, he supposed. No, he wasn’t angry, more… annoyed he supposed. While he may not noticeably hold back when taking things from others, in the history of him traveling with this group not once had he taken an object from any of them, and it wasn’t because none of them had anything worth stealing.

Yeah, annoyed was the best term for what he was feeling.

So as the other seven gradually broke up from around the fire and said their goodnights, Therion said nothing, feigning sleep instead. Since they were in a well defensible position, as determined by Olberic, they didn’t set a watch per-say. Linde was alert for any danger, and seeing as she was an animal, she would sense danger well before any of them.

He waited for an hour, until everyone’s breathing was deep and even, before gathering his feet under him and silently walking across the camp. A glint of firelight reflecting of the beastial eyes tracking hime didn’t deter his actions, and Linde made no action to wake H’aanit. Reaching his goal without disturbing anyone’s sleep, Therion let out the smallest of sighs.

********

Olberic and H’aanit were awake before most of the group the next morning, no different from usual, and trading tales of their fights when a shriek pierced the air. Their heads whipped in the direction, and everyone still sleeping sat up in bed so quickly, nearly half the group experienced vertigo. Tressa, who was the culprit of said shriek, was too busy staring at her bag to notice.

The quickest to her side, Ophilia, placed a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“My bag! It’s fixed!”

“It is?” The merchant thrust the bag into the clerics face, much too close for anything except the fabric to be seen. Ophilia made a startled noise as she stumbled backward.

The ragged foot long tear now looked like no more than pinched fabric, the only sign of a stitch the two knots on the inside of the bag. Primrose eyed the stitching, having joined the two girls as they examined it.

“Wow, that’s really deliberately done! You can’t even see the individual stitches they’re so small. I’ve only seen stitches like that in high-quality clothes.” The dancer tugged experimentally on both sides of the stitch. “It seems like it’ll hold up well too.”

Tressa considered this before taking the fabric in two fists. “Only one way to really tell.” So saying, she tugged as hard as possible to try and tear it. Nothing happened except exposing thread of purplish hue.

Cyrus hovered over the mystery of the fixed bag now as well. His finger and thumb on his chin in thought. “Linde didn’t warn of any danger last night, so someone in the group fixed this. The work is barely noticable, and I imagine the only people capable of doing that are… but the purple color is most telling!” The scholar’s gaze rose from the bag to lock on a figure underneath a tree on the other side of camp, everyone else looking in the same direction.

Therion took a bite of the apple in his hand as everyone’s gaze fell on him. Noticing, he paused before looking off to the side and avoiding the eyes. One thing about being a thief was that Therion was definitely not the best at being the center of attention, especially if it was for a good deed.

The silence of the camp was broken by Tressa. “Therion?” He glanced in her direction before turning his gaze once more away from the stares directed at him.

A small cough escaped him, a mumbled excuse escaped his lips, and before anyone could process the movement Therion was walking into the wooded area. The thin excuse of using the restroom filling the space he once sat in.

Once again, all eyes turned to the bag still held in Tressa’s hands. Unable to do anything but recall her harsh words from yesterday, the bag fell to the ground as she stood and ran off after him into the woods.

“Should we go after them?”

Everyone just shrugged at Primrose’s question.

********

When Tressa finally found Therion, it was only because the gentle crunch of an apple gave him away. She stopped short at the tree she was about to run past, whirling around to face the sound. Therion chewed the fruit slowly, and she swears there was the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. She huffed, slightly out of breath and red faced. Therion was fast. The calm look on his face and even breathing was like he hadn’t even dashed off into the forest in the first place.

After she got a significant part of her breath, she stared at him a moment before bowing low at the waist. “I’m really sorry!”

It was silent for a moment, and Tressa peeked up just in time to see the person she was apologizing to take the last bite of his apple and toss it into a bush. “What for?” She straightened in surprise at his question.

“What for?” She parroted the question, dumbfounded. “Well, because… I called you a thief.”

He shrugged. “I am a thief, you don’t usually apologize for telling the truth.”

“Well, yes, but I mean…” Therion just stared at her as she fumbled for the words to explain herself. She gestured broadly in the air, as if that would make the words come to her. “You aren’t like, a bad person. I mean, stealing is wrong and when you do I consider you a bad person, but… oh this isn’t helping.”

She mussed her hair in frustration as she tried to put her thoughts in order. A snort, possibly of laughter, met her ears as she caused her hair to friz, and she quickly looked up at him. He didn’t smile, but just rolled his eyes and started to walk back the way they had come.

Though he walked away as if nothing had happened, and really nothing about his posture was any different than usual, Tressa somehow got the impression that he was disappointed. She didn’t know why she thought that, but now the thought was there and she couldn’t shake it. Therion was disappointed? Why did she think that of all things? Then, as if a team of horses appeared in the middle of the forest with the express mission to trample her, it hit her.

“You aren’t a thief.”

The thorough look of confusion on his face as he turned let her know just how much nonsense that made.

“I mean, not with us. Not when it’s just us. You haven’t stolen anything from any of us.” He didn’t meet her eyes. “Then I go an accuse you of wanting to take my stuff! Oh, I’m such a jerk! I’m really sorry Therion, I shouldn’t assume you would just steal from me.”

“It was a fair assumption, I did look like I was eyeing your merchandise.”

“I’m still sorry for assuming.” Tressa looked troubled enough that Therion sighed.

“Yeah yeah, apology accepted or whatever.” He pat Tressa on the head before turning again to head back to the camp. This time she didn’t stop him and just followed him back.

********

It was around midday when the thought occurred to Tressa, and she wasted no time voicing it.

“I need to pay you for fixing my bag, it’s only fair.” The words, caused pause for the entire group, especially Therion as she stopped directly in his path. The thief recovered quickly, as one would expect, and skirted around the determined girl.

“I don’t want any of your worthless junk.”


End file.
